Includes the new health organizations and corporations that have become important influences in the U.S. health care system in a brief period of time

Brings the reader up-to-date on significant developments in recent years, such as the Balanced Budget act of 1997 and related changes in Medicare and other government-sponsored programs

Uses a balanced population point of view to reflect the diverse subject matter and to facilitate understanding of the basis of the rapid changes in organization and financing of health care

Is organized into a succession of chapters that stand alone as balanced discussions of discreet subjects but provide incremental additions of information to complete the students’ understanding of the entire health system when read in sequence

Is ideal for introductory courses on the organization of health care for students in schools of health administration, public health, medicine, nursing, dentistry, pharmacy, and in schools that prepare students for other careers in allied health.